2012. október 11., csütörtök

A jack-o'-lantern is typically a carved pumpkin.
It is associated chiefly with the holiday of Samhain and Halloween
and was named after the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat
bogs, called ignis fatuus or jack-o'-lantern.
A will-o'-the-wisp is a ghostly light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes.
In a jack-o'-lantern, typically the top is cut off, and the inside
flesh then scooped out; an image, usually a monstrous face, is carved
out, and the lid replaced.
It is typically seen during Halloween.

Jack-o-Lanterns were also a way of protecting your home against the
Undead. Superstitious people used them specifically to ward away
vampires. They thought this because it was said that the
Jack-o-Lantern's light was a way of identifying vampires and, once their
identity was known, they would give up their hunt for you.